The morning started off with a drive West from Jerusalem to Sataf forest. We hiked around seeing old ruins of one of the first successful Jewish communities. We learned how they farmed and controlled water in the region. Kobi got us into a cave from where they dug into the mountain to create the cisterns. It was a really cool experience seeing how civilizations long ago were able to harness their environment.
Fig trees, grapes and wheat grew here. They were known for using terraces to reduce the challenges of cultivating the lands on a hill. Some of these terraces date to 4,000 BCE. It was a wonderful hike.
We had a great lunch at a restaurant. They are known for their goat cheeses. We had brochette, pizza and pastas. It was fantastic!
That afternoon we walked around the neighborhoods adjacent to the Machane Yehuda outdoor food-market and then adventured and ate our way through the market. The neighborhoods were amazingly diverse and full of history & stories. Kobe then took us on a food tour through the market. We tried cheeses, fruits, nuts, Yemenite food and so much more.
